Confiding in the teacher
by Sparring Woodpecker
Summary: Written for Swan Queen week day 4, Regina Mills student Emma Swan has something to say.
1. Chapter 1

"Miss Swan this is inappropriate!" Ms Mills reprimanded as the student started to invade her personal space.

"I'm not doing anything! I'm just trying to get past!" Emma Swan protested.

"Miss Swan can I ask you to take a step back?" Regina Mills responded in a tone that could be confused between a question and a command.

"Erm…no." The student replied in a patronising voice.

"Excuse me?"

"Well there's not enough space, and I did ask you to move so that I could get past." Emma explained. Regina's mind reeled, she had completely missed that, and she had completely miss-read the context of the situation. She must have been stuck in her daydream; the one that she had to continually remind herself was just that.

Emma was a… difficult student. Not in relation to her grades, her grades were acceptable though Regina knew that if the girl applied herself more then she would be able to do better. That was just it, Emma Swan shouldn't even be getting the grades she was getting because she didn't apply herself, and she didn't concentrate in class. Regina could barely count the number of times that she had found the girl asleep on the desk. And if that weren't enough she always sent sly smirks in Regina's direction, as though she knew exactly the sort of sordid thoughts her teacher was harbouring for her. Emma was by no means an unattractive girl; she could be very charming when she wanted to be, very persuasive. She always had a smile at the ready but Regina thought there was more to it than that, the girl always looked tired and if you bothered to look deeply into her eyes, which obviously Regina did very little, or so she told herself; you could see some kind of pain.

Maybe that was part of the attraction of Emma Swan, the mystery behind the mask of cocky happiness and indifference.

"Miss Swan…" Regina started before softening her voice "Emma is everything ok dear?" The blonde girl squeezed past and stepped away, avoiding her teachers gaze as she stuffed her hands in her pockets and glared at the floor where the toe of her boot was scuffing the worn carpet. Suddenly the girl's eyes shot up and locked onto the brunettes. A wavering smile was fixed in place but her eyes screamed a different emotion.

"Yeah, it's all cool Ms Mills."

"Well you know you can talk to me any time you need to, about anything dear." Regina responded not expecting Emma to pay any attention to her offer.

"Anything?" Emma queried.

"Yes dear. Do you want to take a seat?" Emma nodded, trying to subtly wipe her eyes. Regina noticed and went to lock the door so they wouldn't be interrupted giving the girl time to compose herself. She sat next to the girl and placed a reassuring hand on her knee.

"It's just… It's all so… difficult. I don't know what to do." Emma started in a mess.

"Do you want to tell me?"

"It's… my… my foster family."

"What about them dear?" Regina had been unaware of Emma's home situation, but that was hardly surprising considering she wasn't much of one for socialising and gossiping with the other teachers.

"They're already kinda disappointed with me and my grades and now I feel like I'm just gonna make it worse." Regina took a deep breath, she knew she shouldn't be telling this to a student, not as the first person to know anyway but she just felt so connected with Emma and like she could trust her. She knew it was wrong and she shouldn't feel any of the emotions she felt for the girl but she couldn't help herself.

"My Mother was always disappointed in me and my Father did little to stop her punishing me for the slightest transgressions. I always had to achieve the best. It got to the stage where she refused to let me see anyone for an entire summer break because I needed to get full marks. I wasn't allowed anything less than perfect."

"That's mental." Emma responded.

"I know, but the extra study did help. If you want I can give you tutoring sessions." Regina offered. She tried to reason that she would do it for any student, but the truth was that Emma was different.

"That… that would be good." Emma responded but made no effort to move; neither did Regina, sensing the girl had more to say and also not quite wanting to remove her hand from Emma's knee quite yet.

"There's… there's something else. I don't expect you to get it."

"Try me Miss Swan."

"They'll send me back for this one, again. I don't want to move again."

"You're almost eighteen Emma; they can't do anything to you then."

"There's still a few months."

"And I'll make sure that for those few months you'll be ok." Emma laughed dryly. "Care to fill me in on the joke Miss Swan?"

"So you think you can help me when I'm homeless or the systems trying to move me to another state?"

"If there really is an issue then I will be able to do something." Regina promised both Emma and herself, she would take the girl in herself if she had to.

"You're a student teacher, you can't do a thing." Emma shot back.

"Well that's debatable but at the moment we are discussing a hypothetical issue."

"I… argh, I can't hide it from them much longer and it completely sucks cause I already know how they're gonna respond."

"You might be over thinking it, or they might act differently out of love."

"Ha, they don't love me, they get paid to keep me fed, watered and dry, that is it. And even if that weren't true; which it is; their homophobia's too deep set to shake."

"Oh Emma." Regina sighed, smoothing her thumb soothingly over the blonde's knee. "I get it, I really do."

"You do?" Emma asked looking up at the teacher. She was so close.

"Yes." Regina breathed out. Emma slowly, hesitantly raised a hand to Regina's cheek as she leaned in to carefully touch lips in a soft kiss full of emotion. Regina's heart exploded as she returned the affection.

Suddenly Emma jumped back.

"No! I'm not doing this! This, argh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to… crap! You're a teacher! Why?"

"Why am I a teacher?" Regina asked a little dazed.

"No, why do I have feelings for you?" Emma asked aggressively.

"Why do I have feelings for you?" Regina returned equally aggressively.

"You what?" Emma asked and Regina's hands flew to her mouth as she realised what she had admitted to that wonderfully infuriating girl. Emma moved closer to the other woman again and this time Regina couldn't help herself but to launch herself at the girl, pressing a passionate kiss to her lips as strong arms supported her. Emma didn't even think as she allowed Regina to deepen the kiss, instead of complaining and pushing her away like she should have done, she wrapped her arms tighter.

They pulled away from each other both breathless and with small smiles.

"We can work this out." Regina promised.

"Please…" Emma started unsure of what she wanted to say.

"Please what Emma dear?"

"Please… kiss me again." Emma responded with a slight smirk.

"Gladly." Regina secured her arms around Emma's neck and brought them together, vowing to find a way to never let her go.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So this was gonna be a one-shot but thanks to stonehearts, foreverfaandoms and Amy-REGALMEMBER for reviewing and causing my mind to wander :)**

Regina couldn't help softly smiling as Emma exited, throwing a charming smile over her shoulder as she hurried to the bus stop. As soon as the blonde left Regina turned her phone on and turned the volume up so she would hear if Emma called her. She collected her belongings and locked the room, heading to the staff room to give the classes work and the keys to the teacher that she was paired with, an ironically named Mr Small.

She found that he wasn't in the staff room like she expected however Miss Blanchard was. She annoyed Regina to no end but she was tolerant of the woman. She was a nice, caring person, she was just a bit too naïve for Regina to take her seriously.

"How was your day Regina?" She asked politely, grabbing another mug from the stand to pour Regina a coffee.

"Erm…" Regina tried to force the blush back down from her face. She was sure Mary-Margaret Blanchard had not seen it, either way it wasn't commented on. "I'm not sure I'm really flourishing in Mr Small's class."

"Why's that?"

"I don't do anything and his class are pretty self-reliant, they don't ask for help and I don't really have much to do during lesson." This wasn't a lie, she did feel bored in Mr Small's class but she had been content to sit it out just to finish her placement.

"You probably just need to earn their trust before they'll come to you for advice and help." Regina couldn't hide the blush this time. "Unless that's the reason behind this. Has one of the students said something to you that you feel uncomfortable with and not sure if you should tell anyone?" Mary-Margaret pried.

Regina shrugged non-committaly as she took the mug from Mary-Margaret.

"You know you can trust me, I'm the soul of discretion. I can assure you, I'm as silent as the grave."

Regina refused to shift uncomfortably, there were few things she was grateful to her Mother over, but this ability was one of them. "I'd just rather not be in his class. Do you know if it's possible to transfer?"

Mary-Margaret appeared to consider this for a moment as she took a sip of her coffee. "I would be more than willing to have you assist in my classes. You would have to talk to your supervisor and to the principal but I don't see an issue with it." Regina weighed up the options; she didn't particularly find the idea of spending at least 6 hours a day in this woman's company but on the other hand then it would be a bit less bad to kiss Emma again, and again, and again.

Regina just started thanking Mary-Margaret when her phone rang. She quickly snatched it up.

"Hello."

"Regina, I can't do it." Came Emma's slightly panicky voice. "They'll kick me out."

Regina hushed Emma before responding in words. "It'll be ok Emma, I've got you. You can do it and we will deal with the fall out together."

"Together?"

"Together." Regina confirmed.

"Promise?" Emma asked in a watery voice.

"I promise that nothing bad will happen Emma."

"Ok, I'll, bye then."

"Goodbye dear." Regina waited until Emma hung up before putting her phone away. Mary-Margaret gave Regina a pointed look.

"Emma? Is that one of your Uni friends?" Mary-Margaret gossiped. Regina restrained an eye roll.

"Emma is someone who I… Emma's just facing a few issues." Regina settled with a simple truth.

"Anything I can help with?" The woman seemed so concerned that Regina couldn't help but respond without thought.

"Perhaps. You have a spare room don't you?" Mary-Margaret nodded in an uncertain way, Regina took a deep breath before launching head first into her idea. "Emma Swan thinks she's about to be kicked out of her foster home and she needs somewhere to go so the system doesn't move her."

"That was a bit… friendly for a conversation with Emma Swan."

"She just…" Regina faded off as a smile spread across the other teachers face.

"She's the real reason you want to move classes isn't she?" Regina tried to hide her blush but she couldn't.

"And Emma, how does she feel?"

"You just said that conversation was friendly for Emma Swan." Regina replied wryly causing Mary-Margaret to squeal.

"I'm so happy. Love is such an amazing feeling Regina. David and I would be more than happy to assist Emma." Mary-Margaret continued to make utterances of delight but Regina tuned them out until her phone rang again.

"They did it, they kicked me out." Emma's flat voice came over the phone. "I'll be back at the school in about an hour once I've packed my bags and got the bus."

"I can pick you up if you want."

"Yeah, what's gonna happen Regina?"

"Don't worry it's all sorted. Mary-Margaret said you can have her spare room."

"Miss Blanchard?" Emma exclaimed slightly incredulously. "You want me to stay with the teacher I had last year."

"There's not another alternative available. I simply don't have the room, as you pointed out I'm a student so it's this or nothing." Emma sighed heavily before agreeing.

"I've got to pick Emma up." Regina explained to Mary-Margaret who scribbled down an address for her. Regina thanked the woman who within the last couple of minutes had drastically improved in her estimation. She got into her Benz and drove to the address that was listed on the school records as Emma's current address.

Emma sat outside, crouched against the wall with a duffle bag and her school rucksack.

"Is this it?" Regina asked causing Emma to jump slightly before quickly removing her headphones as she smiled up at the brunette before whistling.

"Nice ride."

"Answer the question Emma." Regina responded in a dry tone for lack of anything else to say.

"Yeah, I'm not sentimental and you don't get much in the system." Regina evaluated Emma's bags and determined that she would have to go on a shopping spree with her some when. When her mother and father had died all their estate was left to her so it wasn't like Regina was short on money, her family had been relatively well off.

Emma threw her bags in the boot before climbing into the passenger seat. Their eyes met and Regina leaned forward to slowly kiss Emma, still unable to believe that she could. "Are you ok?"

"I've been thrown out before, it's nothing new." Emma shrugged but Regina could sense the feelings of abandonment that Emma had. The hatred for the last foster family in which Regina had assumed had been a long line of them.

"How many times?" Regina asked curiously.

"Erm, a lot." Emma replied with a crooked smile. "I've been in the system since I was a baby, like literally I was a new born found on the edge of a road with a blanket saying Emma and that is it." Regina knew Emma wouldn't appreciate her sympathy so she stayed quiet. They drove around for a bit as Regina was a bit uncertain as to where the address was but neither minded, Regina had turned on the radio and was enjoying Emma humming along, and occasionally softly singing. She didn't strike Regina as the type to be shy but it almost seemed like it as she barely whispered the lyrics. It was sort of endearing.

Eventually they reached the address; a man opened the door, smiling down at the two women. "Mary-Margaret they're here!" He shouted over his shoulder before grinning at Emma.

"You must be Emma, please come in, both of you." He held the door wide and the two women entered the apartment. It had an open plan ground floor with a bed in a curtained off area and stairs leading up to another room which Mary-Margaret was just exiting. She smiled down at the girls.

"Hi Emma. I've just finished making your bed."

"Erm, thanks Miss Blanchard."

"Don't be silly, call me Mary-Margaret, and this is my partner David."

"Er, ok."

"Where's the rest of your stuff, I'll help you get it in." David said helpfully, he seemed like a kind man and he helped to calm Emma and Regina down just with his presence.

"That's it." Regina replied for Emma, slipping her hand into hers and ignoring Mary-Margaret's nearly inaudible squeal.

"Thanks Miss, Mary-Margaret and David, for y'know taking me in."

"That's quite alright sweetie." Regina glanced at her watch and sighed.

"I have to get going. I need to see my course supervisor."

"Don't worry Regina; we'll take good care of Emma." Regina merely nodded before turning to leave. Emma followed her outside and kissed her goodbye.

"Thank you Regina." Emma murmured into the kiss and both couldn't help but smile. This could turn out well, really well.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while but I've had lots of college work and as exams approach I will not promise regular updates but I can promise you I do know where this story is going so it will get there eventually. Anyways thanks for all the reviews favs and follows etc. X**

"Is there anything you don't eat Emma?" Mary-Margaret inquired, poking her head around the door to Emma's new bedroom.

"Nah, Miss… erm, Mary-Margaret." A soft smile appeared on the woman's face at being addressed like this. "I'll eat anything."

"Good, good. Well in that case dinner will be ready in about an hour. Please make yourself at home."

Emma nodded as she sat perched on the bed, her bed, and surveyed the room which was to be her new room. There were lots of pastel and floral themes going on but it wasn't the worse place Emma had lived, not by a long shot. And Mary-Margaret was a nice person, from what Emma could tell from the time she had had her as a teacher last year.

Emma slowly moved about the room, placing her few belongings in random places and moving them around until she was satisfied, just trying to fill the time until she was called down to dinner. Usually first meals were slightly awkward but Emma had been through enough of them that she no longer dreaded them.

This time however was different to all the previous homes she had been at because she already knew Mary-Margaret. She leant that David worked at the local animal shelter but was currently in the process of applying for a job in the police. Mary-Margaret had always wanted to work with younger kids and was waiting for an opportunity to apply for the local elementary school. Reading between the lines Emma also guessed that the couple wanted a child of their own.

This didn't sit right with Emma. Sure she should be happy for them and it wasn't like this was permanent, just a few months, but all the same she felt kind of side lined. The first foster family that she had been put with had been lovely, amazing people, up until the young couple found they were expecting a child of their own and sent her back.

"Erm, can I use the phone?" Emma asked after Mary-Margaret and David forbade her from helping with the washing up.

"Sure. It's just over there." David waved the dishcloth vaguely.

"Right, thanks. I might take a while; I need to talk to my social worker."

"Oh, of course honey!" Mary-Margaret exclaimed. "We should have done that earlier!"

"Don't worry. Phil doesn't really care. He didn't report me missing for week after I ran away last time." David tried to hide his scowl at that and elbowed Mary-Margaret to warn her not to pry.

/

Emma could have used her mobile but it gave her more credibility if she phoned from a landline as well as the fact it gave Phil her new contact number.

After a long argument with Phil about not taking matters into her own hands which ended with David taking over Emma went back up to her room and slumped onto her bed to text Regina.

[Wanna know the reason the family gave for kicking me out this time?]

She threw the phone on the bed and stared at the ceiling, waiting for the beep in response.

[Nothing good I'm assuming dear]

[Satanic practices. Anyone would think I was attempting to summon demons. But it's all sorted with social]

[I've cleared my class transfer with my course supervisor. Though he has advised that we still keep our relationship quiet until you are 18 anyway]

[Ok, we can do that. It's only a few months.]

[Yes dear. But for now you'll have to excuse me. I have work I need to be getting on with, and I know you have homework ;)]

Emma sighed. This was probably going to be the biggest nuisance ever, dating a teacher and living with a teacher. There is no way she could get out of not doing assignments or revision now. Ah well, whatever this thing she had with Regina was exactly it might just be worth it. It might really be worth it.

/

The next morning Regina came round early, it was fortunate that David and Mary-Margaret were early risers and on school days Emma liked to get up early, she could always catch up with sleep at the weekends.

"Morning Regina. Do come in, you can have a look at my lesson plans whilst Emma finishes getting ready."

"No, I'm ready." Emma bounded up to the brunette, practically beaming.

"You haven't had breakfast." Mary-Margaret countered.

"I'll be fine." Emma shrugged, unaccustomed to having breakfast at many of her foster homes.

"No, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Go put some bread in the toaster and make yourself a bowl of cereal. It's not up for discussion." Mary-Margaret ordered sternly but kindly, motherly, Emma supposed was the term you could use.

Regina was pleased to see that Emma was being well taken care of, especially as time progressed she got more and more insight into issues that Emma must have faced in the past, not that she wanted to pry. It was Emma's private life but if she wanted to share then Regina would be more than happy to listen.

Regina followed the pair into the house and sat down with Mary-Margaret to discuss what she would be doing in her class over the upcoming days whilst Emma perused the cupboards to see what food was on offer.

/

Regina drove Emma to school; it was still early so it wasn't like anyone would see them. Emma gave her a quick kiss before heading of to Granny's Dinner, just around the corner from the school, where she was going to meet her friend Ruby like she did most mornings before school.

Regina was aware that Ruby was the granddaughter of Granny Lucas who owned the dinner and she worked both as a waitress and occasionally helping out in the bed and breakfast linked to the dinner. However she herself needed to go in and see Mr Small and explain that she was no longer in his class. Not that it would make much of difference whether she was there or not.

Regina dropped her belongings off in the staff room before making the teacher a strong cup of coffee, just the way he liked it in the morning. As she waited for the man to arrive she ran over in her head what she would say.

"Ah, Regina." The man in question interrupted her thoughts.

"Mr Small. I made you coffee." Regina offered the mug to the man and he took it with a curious look on his face.

"Can I help you with something Ms Mills?"

"Yes. My course supervisor and I have agreed that perhaps it would be best for me to transfer classes as your class are exceedingly independent and whilst that is a very admirable quality it does little to help me gain experience in the field of teaching."

"Ah, is that so? Well I suppose they are quite bright." Mr Small responded, sounding kind of smug. "Well if your course supervisor thinks it's for the best then I won't stand in your way. As a matter of interest though which school are you transferring to?"

"Oh, I'm staying here. I've just moved to Miss Blanchard's class. She assures me that they are more reliant that your group, many of whom she taught last year."

The man nodded and slipped on his glasses as he scanned the morning paper whilst sipping the coffee Regina had made him. Deciding that the matter was settled Regina headed off to Mary-Margaret's classroom, she liked to get a feel of a room before the students arrived and also liked to know the home of various objects like scissors, coloured pens, paper, whiteboards, whiteboard markers and so forth. And although she already knew the teacher she always liked to make a good first impression and to Regina this would be the first impression Miss Blanchard would have of her in a professional capacity and she intended to make the best of it.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the wait and the length but like I said last time, exams are upcoming, less than a week away now, but I needed to write so… Anyway I also said I knew where I was going with this and now I'm less sure so if you guys wanna drop me a message with your thoughts on Mary-Margaret and the fact that she knows about Emma and Regina and whether that's gonna be an issue or not that'd be nice : ) thanks to all of ya X**

"Hey Emma! How's life treating ya?" Ruby queried as she quickly poured a hot chocolate and slid it across to her blonde friend.

"It all went down yesterday." Emma casually replied, before taking a long sip, watching Ruby's impatient expression over the rim of the mug.

"What happened?" Ruby finally demanded to know, once it was clear that Emma wasn't going to provide any more details without prompting. "Hold it a sec." Ruby muttered a curse under her breath as she went to attend to another customer.

Emma reviewed her options. What exactly could she tell her best friend? Ruby knew Emma was gay but they had both agreed it was for the best that she didn't tell her foster family. So why would she have changed her mind? And why was she now staying with Miss Blanchard?

"So…" Ruby prompted, leaning over the counter.

"Well my foster family kinda found out…"

"Oh my… they found the gay porn, didn't they?" Ruby exclaimed a little too loudly for Emma's liking. Emma ducked her head. It wasn't even like it was _hers _, Ruby kept sending links as a joke, or randomly saving stuff to her laptop when she 'borrowed' it. And Ruby was crafty. Emma was usually pretty good at finding the stuff Ruby had done but occasionally she'd find a random file ages afterwards. But that was a perfect excuse, a perfect reason for the foster family to have found out.

Emma's blush from embarrassment at everyone thinking she had _that _on her laptop must have been all the confirmation that Ruby needed though.

"They did!" Ruby virtually cackled, before remembering what the consequences of that could be for her best friend and immediately sobering up. "What'd they do?"

"Oh you know, kick me out for satanic practices." Emma tried to say it off-handedly but the words caught in her throat.

"Awww, Emma. Why didn't you come here?" Ruby asked, her eyes full of sympathy that Emma wasn't sure whether she detested or not.

"I phoned social, and apparently Miss Blanchard is an emergency foster home for older kids. So I'm staying with her and her partner, David."

"Partner?" Ruby queried, grabbing her school stuff and walking out with Emma. "Idda thought she'd have been married."

"I think they're engaged. But I think it's a bit of a long term engagement cos they want a fairy tale wedding type thing, so they need ta save up. At least that's the impression I got."

XXX

Regina looked out the window to see the two girls enter the school gates. She thought back to her dreams last night, which had been full of Emma, not that that was so unusual. Emma meeting her father, she was sure he would have liked her. Emma holding her hand and trying to look interested as Regina took her round clothes shops, cos Emma really needed a decent sized wardrobe, consisting of more than skinny jeans and tank tops. Perhaps a few plaid shirts? Dream Emma had looked good in them any ways. Emma would whine about being hungry, and that wasn't too unrealistic, she often complained about being hungry in the middle of class, when she wasn't asleep.

Regina's lips tugged into a small smile. Emma looked so… she refused to use the word cute, adorable? Charming? Either way Emma was that when she was asleep on the desks, breath blowing her loose hair up and down gently. Regina wanted to know what she looked like curled up in bed, or resting against her.

The brunette was startled from her thoughts by Mary-Margaret who entered the room with a stack of paper work. She precariously balanced it on a chair and it immediately fell to the floor. Regina barely concealed a sigh as she went to help the woman collect it back into a pile.

XXX

"I changed your personal details at reception." Mary-Margaret informed Emma over dinner that night. Emma nodded her head in thanks.

"Hey, Emma, or do you prefer Ems?" David queried

"Emma's fine."

"What do you think about dogs?"

"Dogs are nice enough, good company…"

"No, David. We are not getting a dog! We've gone over this and you are not getting Emma to outvote me on this. We haven't got enough space, I'm right, aren't I Regina?" The woman rounded on Regina who sat between her and Emma.

"Well you do appear to be lacking in space, you don't have a garden and this house is open plan. Perhaps in the future?" Regina tried to moderate upon seeing David's crest fallen appearance.

Emma chuckled and it just kept building. Everyone else at the table looked at her quizzically. "Sorry." She apologized, trying to taper down the giggles, without much success. "It's just so domestic. I guess I'm just not used to it."

Regina slipped her hand into Emma's under the table.

"Well you better get used to it." David fake threatened with his fork, causing the whole table to laugh


	5. Chapter 5

"So this is my room." Emma waved a hand around the mostly bare room as Regina entered behind her. Emma knew it wasn't much but at least the desk had work on and the floor didn't have clothes on, even if that might have added the extra personal touch the room desperately needed.

She carefully turned and closed the door behind them.

"Mary-Margaret told me not to 'get up to any funny business'" Emma made air quotes "in here and that she'd prefer us to keep the door open but I'm pretty confident that David is distracting her so she won't notice."

"Aren't you quite the rebel." Regina commented dryly.

"Well you know, there's just some things foster parents shouldn't see, or have any inkling of them happening." Emma responded with a smirk, leading them both to the only available place to sit in the room, the bed.

"Emma, it's not that I don't want to, but you are still a minor and…"

"What? No that's, that's not what I meant." Emma blushed lightly. "Though it's nice to know you wouldn't be opposed to it in future, would you?"

"I would not be opposed." Regina responded, cradling the hand in Emma's lap.

"Cool." They sat there for a while, neither sure how to break the silence. Until Regina decided it didn't need breaking and brought her lips to Emma, pushing into the blonde, who fell back against the bed accommodatingly.

"Wait!" Emma suddenly broke the kiss. "I thought you said…"

"I said I wasn't doing that, I didn't say I wasn't doing this." Regina responded in a slightly lowered voice as her lips once again claimed Emma's.

XXX

"Well, yesterday was suitably mortifying." Regina commented as Emma slipped into the passenger seat of her car.

"You're telling me." The teen grumbled. "I was rather enjoying the wandering of your hand until Mary-Margaret came in. Once you left they decided it was time to have 'the talk' with me, figuring I'd missed it- seriously those two are so innocent I'm surprised they don't think babies come from stalks."

"You think that's bad? I have to face your foster mother at work on Monday, all day, five days a week, with her not able to look at me without wondering what I'm doing to you, or without recalling what she walked in on and fearing if she had waited five minutes." Regina bemoaned as she pulled away and off towards town. Emma snickered next to her. "I'm glad you find it amusing."

"I'm just imagining all the sly in-jokes you'll be making during class. I miss those, they were great."

"Oh so you actually listened in lesson?" Regina teased with a raised eyebrow.

"Sometimes, when I wasn't asleep, and only to you."

"I never got how you managed to survive class."

"I'm big on studying at home- I don't learn that well in class, and besides I usually wasn't able to sleep at the homes I was in so I was too tired to stay awake in class, but I was awake at midnight so I could learn the stuff then. And then with all the moving about then I'd already done half the stuff any way so I might as well self-teach." Emma explained, and it made sense to Regina, although she had always paid attention in class for fear of her mother's wrath come parents evening she would study most of her spare time- again to avoid her mother's wrath, and sometimes she found home study a lot more effective than listening to her teachers.

"Well we're here." Regina pulled into the parking lot and turned the car off.

"Ok. Before we go I'm saying no high end stores and no spending the earth on me." Emma looked deadly serious into Regina's eyes.

"I refuse to date someone who looks like they don't have a home and only have two tops." Regina replied just as steadily, it had taken a lot of persuasion just to get Emma to agree to let her buy her some clothes, she wouldn't let her back out now.

"I do not look like that- and you know I own more than two tops."

"Barely." Regina mutters the response under her breath but judging by Emma's scowl it was overheard. "Just get out of the car."

Emma finally follows her instructions and soon they make their way into the nearest clothing store.

XXX

After a while Regina takes to banning Emma from looking at the price, in fact she's not allowed to look at the label at all. That's not too much of a problem because Regina had already guessed Emma's size and this guess was soon confirmed by the clothes that Emma was picking out.

The only problem for Emma came with the plaid shirts that Regina seemed insistent upon her getting. She'd readily admit that they didn't look too bad on her, the issue she had was finding ones with shoulder room. While Emma was naturally fairly slim and worked out frequently her arms were well muscled from this working out- despite a less than stellar diet in the past. Well-developed arms and shoulders do not lend themselves to women's shirts, so it took a bit of looking to find shirts that Regina liked on her that were a comfortable fit around her shoulders.

Emma also enjoyed the exploration into the men's section, and the hoodies therein.

But by far her favourite article of clothing was a red leather jacket. Regina saw her eying it and took it from the rail and thrust it into her arms as those it were a radioactive bomb. Emma didn't even want to think about the price tag as she tried it on, but she reasoned that Regina had been the one to make her try it on and if the look in her eyes was anything to go by maybe Regina really didn't mind about the price tag when it came to this piece, despite her outwards distain.

Emma was also particularly pleased that Regina was getting things for herself as well, though was not as pleased to note these mainly consisted of her usual school attire of pant suits and pencil skirts and blouses.

"No offence, but don't you own any comfy clothes? Like I mean not like I don't like you in what you're wearing at the moment" (a pant suit and waist coat) "cos you look really hot. But you always do."

"These are comfy." Regina defended.

Upon that response Emma grabbed Regina's hand and dragged her around the shop to select and outfit that consisted of a tight fit cotton t-shirt, a baggy hoodie, skinny jeans and some high top converses. "You need to get out of heels at some point."

"I have trainers!" Emma shot Regina a look as she pushed her into the fitting room with the outfit.

XXX

Regina filled the boot with their bags, secretly very pleased that Emma had forced her into getting herself clothes that people her age normally wore. Her mother would have a fit if she could see her wearing them, but her mother was irrelevant.

They drove to Regina's flat – not wanting to risk a repeat performance of the previous night before Regina took Emma and her new wardrobe back to Mary-Margaret's, careful to avoid the teachers withering gaze and equally careful to leave the door wide open as they put away Emma's new clothes, though how much longer they would remain neatly in the wardrobe was another matter.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is the end. Sorry it's really bad but I have lots of uni work and I kinda just want to have this finished and off my conscious. Maybe in the future I'll revisit it, maybe not. Thanks for sticking with, you're all awesome. **

"Woah, new threads!" Ruby eyed Emma appreciatively as she entered the dinner. "Did not have Blanchard down as the type to let you buy that." She gestured to the red leather.

"Erm well, she didn't get them for me." Emma rubbed the back of her neck self-consciously.

"There's no way you had the money to get that yourself. Whatdya do? Steal it?"

"No." Emma got defensive. "Someone else brought it for me. Someone who I'm not telling you about right now."

"Why not?" Ruby protested.

"Cos, that's why not."

"Has Emma got herself a sugar momma?" Ruby teased with a scandalised expression on her face.

"Firstly, never let me hear you say that again. Secondly, I don't wanna talk about it. Not yet."

Ruby knew when to drop a subject. Getting information from her best friend was like bleeding a rock. That didn't mean she wouldn't keep trying at random points, subtly, to catch her off guard.

XXX

"So Emma, you're 18th birthday is soon. How do you want to celebrate?" David asked at the dinner table.

Emma had a few ideas, none of which would be appropriate to say at the table.

"Just something small. Just you, Mary-Margaret, Regina and Ruby." Emma listed off the four most important people in the world to her.

"But you want cake right? Mary-Margaret wants to start a health kick and I'm trying to convince her she doesn't need to."

"Definitely cake. Lots of it. And pizza."

"So basically a film night?" Emma nodded enthusiastically and David sighed.

"It's your eighteenth." He whispered despairingly but the grin on his face told Emma he didn't really care.

XXX

"So do I finally get to meet your mystery woman?" Ruby tried to pry at Emma's secrets for what must have been the millionth time when Emma invited her around on Saturday.

"Mystery woman?"

"Well I know there's gotta be some reason why I haven' been invited to a sleepover."

"So the logical assumption is that I have my mystery woman over for the night?"

"So you do have a mystery woman." Ruby pressed, leaning forward over the counter.

"That's not what I said."

"Sure." Ruby retorted with a grin.

"Would it matter to you, if there was?" Emma asked quietly, not looking at Ruby.

"Nah mate. As long as you're happy, I'm happy." Ruby reached a hand out to Emma's shoulder.

"Ruby!" Granny shouted from the kitchen.

"Gotta go."

XXX

"Hi." Emma opened the door for Regina.

"Happy Birthday dear." Regina leaned in for a quick kiss before coming inside.

Regina, as per Emma's request, had worn comfy clothes. And that meant the jeans and t-shirt she had brought that day clothes shopping with Emma.

Emma pulled Regina down onto the sofa and snuggled into her. It definitely wasn't the most regal she'd ever been but with Emma curled up to her Regina couldn't complain.

The doorbell sounded and David left the kitchen area to open the door and let Ruby in. Emma knew that Regina was a little tense about revealing their relationship but with Emma's hands playing with her hair it was hard for her to be too tense.

"Happy Birthday!" Ruby yelled right in David's face before realising who had opened the door. "Oh sorry Davey-boy, I thought it'd be Emma. Not early am I?" Ruby queried.

"No, she's in front of the TV." David stepped aside to let Ruby in. He was fond of Emma's friend.

Emma looked over the back of the sofa, straining to see Ruby whilst not dislodging Regina who was snuggled down out of Ruby's line of sight.

"Hey Rubes!" Emma greeted with a smile. Ruby moved to hop over the back of the sofa like she often did. "Wouldn't do that if I were you." Emma quickly interjected.

Ruby looked down at the body nestled into Emma's side who was purposefully focused on the TV. Ruby raised an eyebrow at Emma.

"Am I gonna get an introduction?"

"Regina." Emma nudged the woman next to her who looked up to glare at Emma, allowing Ruby to see her face.

"Miss Mills?" Ruby questioned incredulously.

"You ok there Ruby?" David asked from the kitchen area.

"Sure David. I was just kinda expecting…"

"Expecting what Miss Lucas?" Regina turned around further.

"I dunno. Someone I didn't know." Ruby shrugged. She moved to sit on the pile of bean bags.

"So you're cool?" Emma checked.

"You're happy, I'm happy." Ruby smiled as she watched her best friend snuggle back with her girlfriend and hit the play button on the movie. Yeah, she was good with this.


End file.
